North Hills middle school orchestra opens board meeting with 'Jupiter' and student introductions

At the start of the Sept. 18 North Hills Board of Education meeting, Mrs. Craig brought a select ensemble of seventh- and eighth-grade orchestra students to perform a piece titled "Jupiter." Mrs. Craig said the musicians are leaders from the middle-school orchestra and described them as high-achieving students from large grade cohorts. After the performance, several students introduced themselves and named other activities they participate in, including marching band, soccer, cross country, lacrosse, swimming and theater. Why it matters: the performance served as the meetings opening and highlighted extracurricular participation across grades, underscoring the schools emphasis on arts alongside athletics and clubs. Details: Mrs. Craig said the ensemble had performed the music the previous year and encouraged students to wear representations of other activities and sports as their uniform. Students who introduced themselves included Gracie Alder, Nora Myers, Sam Witoski, Emily Everhart, Naomi Suda, Kat Neal, Riley Plowey, Madeline Nies, Atais Hammond, Kenzie (last name not specified), Caitlin McGee, Naveen Nutteraj, Jane Homer, Eric Wanda, Isabel Brown, Jason Jo, and Hannah Kaldorf. Several students noted participation in multiple activities such as marching band, sports and volunteer work. Limits: the meeting transcript provides introductions and brief remarks but no evaluation or formal school agenda action tied to the performance. Ending: board members thanked the students for performing and invited members of the audience to remain for the meeting.